Electrical switchboard.



No. 727,763. PATENTED MAY- 12, 1903.

E. B. ELLICOTT.

ELECTRICAL SWITCHBOARD. APPLICATION. FILED APR. 26, 1901.

N0 MODEL.

Invenior:

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EDWARD B. ELLICOTT,

Patented May 12, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

- OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRICAL SWITCHBOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,763, dated May 12,1903.

Application filed April 26, 1901. Serial No. 57,613. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD B. ELLIOOTT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ohicage, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in ElectricalSwitchboards, (Case No. 1,) of which the followingis a full, clear,concise, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanyingdrawing, forming a part of this specification.

My invention contemplates the securing of certain novel and desiredresults in the manner of connectingaplurality of batteries with workingand charging circuits.

In the accompanying drawing the figure is a view of certain circuits andbatteries and a portion of a switchboard by which the same can beconnected in accordance with my invention.

In the drawing enough of the board B is shown to illustrate my inventionas applied to a working circuit consisting of an interior portion D andan exterior portion E, although it will be understood that the inventioncan be applied to any manner of circuit. This combined circuit is shownprotected by two protective devices 0 0, (indicated in dotted lines,)one of which is on each side of the circuit. Theseprotective devices areindicated as being constructed in accordance with the inventiondisclosed in my application, Serial No. 86,225, filed December 17, 1901,although it is understood that no protective device. need be employed,and if one is employed any form may do as Well as the form of my saidapplication. Since I have shown such protective devices, which areunderstood to be mounted upon the board, the form of the latter ismodified naturally by the necessities of the peculiar construction ofsuch protective devices, and I desire to be understood that indescribing the present invention in connection with such protectivedevices I do not intend to limit myself to the use of either thosedevices or equivalent ones.

The board 13 is provided withtwo metallic portions 14 14 for the twoprotective devices and also with metallic portions or contacts 16, 16,17, 17, 17, 17, and 18 18. The circuit D is connected with one of thecontacts 14c and the adjacent contact 16. Two batteries 13 F areprovided, so that one battery may be charged while the remainingbattery. is in operative association with the circuit to be protected,the battery F being connected with the two centrally-located contacts 1717 and the battery F being connected with the outside contacts 17 17. Anemergency-battery is thus always at hand. The board is also providedwith a contact 19,which is arranged above the contacts 14 14 and isconnected with the ground. When the circuitD is connected so as to beprotected by the two devices shown in the drawing, plugs 20, 21, and 22are inserted, the plug 20 between the contact 16 and the adjacentcontact 17, the plug 21 between the other contact 14 and the adjacentcontact 16, and the plug 22 between said contact 16 and the adjacentcontact 17. In this way the circuit is made from the circuit D,containing the instruments to be protected, to the contact 14, thencethrough one protective device, then through the circuit E to the otherprotective device, then through plug 21 to contact 16, plug 22 tocontact 17', then throughthe battery F, and finally through contact 17,plug 20, to contact 16.

In the arrangement shown in the drawing while the circuit F is connectedwith the work-circuit, as described, the circuit F is connected with acharging-circuit by the plugs shown, inserted between the contacts 17and 18 and 17 and 18, respectively.

If it is desired to charge battery F, the other battery F is employ-edby making proper connections with the plugs. If it is desired to testfor an open circuit, the circuit D is shunted by making plug-contactbetween contacts 14c and 16. If it is desired to test for or shunt toground, connection is made between contacts 14 and 19. It will thus beseen that the protective devices can be connected so as to have theoperation of either of them open the circuit, and at the same timeprovision is made for various different connections of the circuit, asset forth. It will be readily understood, of course, that theseconnections can be employed for any form of protective device as well asfor that herein set forth.

While I have herein shown and particularly described the preferredembodiment of my invention, I do not wish to limit myself to the preciseconstruction and arrangement as herein shown and particularly described;but,-

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. In an electricalswitchboard, the combination of aplurality of battery-terminal blocks 17, each connected with oneelectrode of a separate battery, a plurality of terminal blocks 17, eachconnected with the other electrode of the respective battery, aplurality of contact-blocks 16 connected with electrical circuits, andcontact-plugs adapted for insertion between said terminal blocks andsaid contact-blocks, whereby either one or more sets at a time, or allbatteries at once, may be connected with said circuits, substantially asdescribed.

2. In an electrical switchboard, the combination of a plurality ofbattery-terminal blocks 17, each connected with one electrode of aseparate battery, a plurality of terminal blocks 17, each connected withthe other electrode of the respective battery, a plurality ofcontact-blocks 16 connected with electrical circuits, contact-blocks 18connected with a suitable charging source, and contact plugs adapted forinsertion between said batteryterminal blocks and said othercontact-blocks whereby all sets of batteries at once may be connectedwith the electrical circuits or one or more sets at a time connectedtherewith, and the remaining batteries meanwhile recharged by beingconnected with contacts 18,

substantially as described.

3. In an electrical switchboard, the combination of a plurality ofbattery-terminal blocks 17, each connected with one electrode of aseparate battery, a plurality of terminal blocks 17, each connected withthe other electrode of the respective battery, a plurality ofcontact-blocks 16 connected with electrical circuits, contact-blocks 18connected with a suitable charging source, a plurality of contactblocks14 which may be connected with suitable protective devices, acontact-block connected to ground, and contact-plugs adapted forinsertion between to electrically connect any of said blocks,substantially as described.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 19th day of April,A. D. 1901.

EDWARD B. ELLICOTT.

\Vitnesses:

GEORGE L. ORAGG, MAX W. ZABEL.

